In the Wake of Vultures
by musicnotes093
Summary: 'Your family has no love for you, Leo. They may have before, but they do not now. Not when you have nothing to offer.' '…Okay. I'll do it. I'll help you. What do you need me to do' Sequel to the alternate version of A Savage in the Wild. [[Written for AllAmericanSlurp.]]
1. rupture

**Title:** _"__In the Wake of Vultures"_

**Rating:** T

**Genre:** drama

**Character(s):** the Dooley-Davenport household, Krane, S-1 – it depends on the chapter

**Pairing(s):** mentions of Donald/Tasha

**Summary:** 'Your family has no love for you, Leo. They may have before, but they do not now. Not when you have nothing to offer.' '…Okay. I'll do it. I'll help you. What do you need me to do?' Sequel to the alternate version of A Savage in the Wild. [[Written for AllAmericanSlurp.]]

**Notes:** This is a prize fic for AllAmericanSlurp who posted the 500th comment for my 'The A-Bionic Chronicles' story! I asked her for a prompt, and in a review for A Savage in the Wild she asked me for a sequel. I only committed to a one-shot, but the idea I got bred a three-shot, so…

Anyways, one of the chapters in this will have a sort of a hole in it. Explanations will come later so as not to spoil anything, but it shouldn't be that bad.

(In case you have not read A Savage in the Wild, please read it first. You will understand everything better. :) )

Congrats again, AllAmericanSlurp, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

_i. rupture_

Sequence is something that Douglas easily understands. Even when he was little, patterns and order are something that came quickly to him. He had amused his parents one time, when he was seven. To keep him occupied the whole day, his father had dumped a one thousand piece puzzle on the floor in front of him and asked him to put the disaster together into that picture of a waterfall that was printed as a model on the box. Bored out of his wits that Saturday morning, he was only too happy to do it. However, instead of coming to them much later, he came to them not even an hour afterwards to tell them that he was done and was still bored.

That's why he knows that, even if his older brother always gets the accolades and the high praises for being 'smart,' he's smarter. He can look at problems, and, with the exception of a few, with his quick eyes and even quicker mind he can solve them with little effort.

But this. This is a puzzle he's not sure he can solve.

His step-nephew had vanished nearly an hour ago, just as he was arriving at the island to help his brother with a plan that he didn't clearly disclose over the phone. He came to a manic scene, with the students being rushed into a lockdown while his older brother was accessing the video feed from a desolate part of the Academy he didn't know existed. His first move was to ask what happened. His second was to ask where Chase and Leo were after he noticed the absence of both boys. However, instead of his brother answering him, the recording on the screen gave him the reply.

Krane, the man they thought they had ended once and for all, standing in front of a room after turning off a cybermask, after ending a conversation with someone he couldn't see.

_They took him,_ his brother breathed out then in shock as he stared at the screen.

_Took who?, _he had asked, the thought of someone having taken Chase popping up in his mind and making him nervous. _Who did he—_

_ He must've found out about what happened. _

_ What happened?_

_ He's too dangerous. He can't… Krane's going to use that._

_ Use what? _But his brother seemed to withdraw into his own thoughts. Before he could go any farther, though, he called to him, _Donald! Why was Krane here? Who did he take? _

Despite having been surprised by his brother, Donald answered, _Leo. He took Leo._

_ Leo?_

It was then that everything was explained to him in full detail. It brought him a small degree of comfort to find that Chase was still there in the island, only resting in his capsule due to his weak state. The story of how that came about, though, as told through his brother's and the two remaining children's accounts and the recordings of it happening, both clarified and confused the matter for him.

He understood the technicalities: the kid got pushed into a corner, forced to act in defense of himself. His bionics malfunctioned. He hurt people. However, what he couldn't comprehend was why no one helped him in the first place. He had known the kid long enough to figure that he was the type of person who could withstand teasing and even bullying for some time. For him to react that way meant that it had been going on. Did his family not notice it? Or did they just turn a blind eye in favor of these new children? He hoped not, because that would cost them a considerable amount of his respect.

He didn't understand it either, at least during those first few minutes, why the boy was isolated. The three older children had experienced having their abilities glitch before. Donald didn't treat him that way. What made the boy so different? Were they really just scared, or were they using him as a proof to prove to the students that they were important, even more important than their own family?

After mulling it over, he was inclined to assume the good from them. Maybe they really just didn't notice, and maybe what happened just terrified them.

Then, he learned the real reason why he was called there in the first place.

It offends then angers him the more he thinks about it. His brother called him there to sedate his stepson, and then decrease the energy in his abilities, like the kid is some old toy that now only annoys its owners rather than interests them and so needs a fixer to make it somewhat tolerable again, or like some shattered piece of art that needs to be glued together for the sake of convenience and for show. Like a pet that has to be put down. It doesn't help when he sees again in the recordings, after watching it for the nth time for any clues, how the kid easily trusted who he thought was him. It stings when he fills in the gaps in the conversation, too, the words 'broken' and 'home' and 'different' coming out of Krane's mouth as he responded to the boy and perhaps repeated what he said.

These leave him to question many things.

Above all, these leave him pitying the kid.

He's too immersed in his thoughts that he doesn't notice his brother coming in from behind him. "Have you tracked down his location yet?" Donald asks.

He doesn't bother to look at him and instead inputs a command on the desk. "Krane or Leo?" he asks pointedly.

His brother misses his meaning. He only stares. "They're probably going to be at the same place," he tries to answer without being sarcastic, and he does.

Yet, to him, it doesn't matter. "Leo's GPS location is off. Krane's too smart not to block it, especially if he doesn't want them to be found," he comments as he tries another approach in their search.

In his periphery, he sees his brother nod. After pausing thoughtfully, he says, "I just don't understand how Krane could have gotten past us. And how did he even know what we were going to do? That sedative was in the quarters. How did he know where to get it?"

"It's not that hard," he mutters, keeping his eyes on the screen.

Donald doesn't answer. This time, however, he picks up that something is off. Still, he ignores it. "What about Krane?" he asks as he looks on at the blank results on the desk. "Is there any way you can track down his location?"

"No."

"Okay. Okay." Donald expels a breath when he remembers something. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Tasha about this. She's going to be mad at me when she finds out Leo's missing."

"Not as mad when she finds out that you almost tranquilized him."

Donald frowns. "I wasn't going to tranquilize him," he says.

He pauses in his work. "Oh. That's right. You were going to have _me_ do it."

"All of the students are secured in the dormitories, Mr. Davenport," Bree announces as she and Adam come into the room.

Both men, however, do not hear her. "Douglas, is there something wrong?" Donald attempts at patiently asking his brother.

He scoffs softly. "All of this is wrong," he mumbles.

Fed up by his younger brother's foul attitude, Donald replies, "You know, it seems like there's something you want to say, so why don't you just go ahead and say it?"

He glares at Donald, but he doesn't speak.

Noticing the tension running high in the room, Adam intervenes. "Uh, guys? This is probably not a good time to fight," he says.

Douglas glances at him before addressing his brother again. "Maybe it's not such a bad thing that Krane has Leo after all."

"What?"

"At least he's where he's wanted," he finishes honestly.

Bree blinks back the surprise that his words bring and looks at him with knitted brows. "Why would you say something like that?" she asks.

"Okay, clearly, something is wrong with you," Donald declares. "And I don't like what you're implying."

"You may not like it, but it's the truth."

"How are _you_ going to tell me that I don't want my own stepson?"

"Where were those new students when Krane was here? With you. Where was _Leo_ when Krane was here? Out there. Who your priority was is very clear to me," he says. "So you don't have to tell me. I just have to look at the proof."

"Look, Douglas, it's not like that," Adam reasons with him after the argument leaves his father and sister speechless. "Leo wasn't locked out because we didn't care about him. He was there because of the accident."

"An accident, which could have been prevented," he responds. "You and Bree are the oldest, and it was your responsibility first to look after him. You didn't even try to defend him!"

"But he hurt other kids!" Bree responds. "And he hurt Chase! How can I defend him?"

"Did he do it on purpose?"

Bree's expressions soften. "No. He…"

"…was trying to defend himself," he fills in for her. "Because no one else would stick up for him."

Though he knows his argument is frail, Adam still halfheartedly reasons, "We can't show favoritism."

"It's not favoritism, Adam," he says. "It's just loyalty."

Donald shakes his head. "Don't pretend like the good guy here, Douglas, because all of us know you're not," he says.

"Maybe so." He looks at his brother straight in the eyes then says, "But at least I'm not the one pretending like I'm a father, and at least I'm not the one acting like I'm good at it."

Donald's face furrows in anger. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"First Chase, then Leo. You ran both of them away," he says firmly. "You're setting a track here for yourself, Donny, don't you think?"

"I didn't run any of them away. Chase ended up with you because of that avalanche, and Leo ended up with Krane because of that glitch. Those happened because of accidents."

"Those happened because your own kids started thinking they're not good enough! And you didn't do anything about it," he argues. Calmly, he adds, "If anything, this just shows that you're not ready for this much responsibility."

As his younger brother quickly moves things in the desk, transferring the search he had begun in his own tablet as well as some files, Donald asks grimly, "What are you doing."

"I'm going to find Leo. Then, I'm going to tell Tasha everything that happened, and I'll show her." He closes the files on the desk then shuts down his tablet. "Then I'll convince her to pull Leo out of the Academy and get him back to Mission Creek, where I will train him instead."

Donald glowers at him. "You're not going to do that," he says.

"Oh yeah?" He smirks defiantly. "Watch me." He then walks away, leaving the three behind to look at the results of their inactions and to dread the outcome his plan would lead all of them to.


	2. capture

_Many thanks to phoenixfire, pupgirl123, AlienGhostWizard14, AllAmericanSlurp and Arya Scarlett 14 for the reviews. Sorry for being vague on the notes; I meant that this story has grown from a one-shot idea to a three-shot story. :) _

_Thank you, too, to all who had favorited and followed. I hope you guys are enjoying this story, too. (Just a quick 'Welcome!' shout-out to JustLove201. Good to have you here with us. )_

_Onto the second._

* * *

_ii. capture_

Krane's enhanced senses alerts him to a movement despite it being minute. He tears his gaze away from the window, from the dark countryside landscape that stretches on for miles under the lights of the moon and the stars, and focuses on the teenaged boy slowly stirring at where he lays on the dirt. It's obvious from the child's sluggishness that the medicine he had been given hours ago still bears a weighty effect on him. He's trying to wake up, or at least blink back the haze in his eyes, but with his limbs weighing him down like anchors and his nerves, under the chemical cocktail, restraining his mental abilities like steel chains, doing so proves to be a fight on its own.

He waits patiently anyways, allowing the boy to reacquaint himself with the world and to be puzzled by the strange surroundings. He determines his increasing level of consciousness by the expression on his face. The boy's features wring more and more as he recognizes that, instead of being in that frigid, metal and technology-bound isolation room, he's now in a wide, nearly empty barn with a semblance of warmth.

It's not long until the teenager notices his presence. He almost smirks when he sees him flinch slightly. "Krane," he says, his speech still somewhat slow and slurred.

"Leo."

"You're…" Leo tries to sit up. He succeeds, but his body is still too weak that he has to lean back on the crates behind him and support himself up on them. "You… You're..."

He says nothing. He only watches him frailly increase their distance.

Leo sighs, seeing that his attempts are hopeless. "Adam, Bree and Chase didn't finish you," he says instead.

A cold smile pulls at an edge of his lips. When Leo begins looking around again, he assures him, "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to you. You're safe."

Leo manages a glare to direct to him. "I'm with you," he points out. "I highly doubt that."

His smile breaks into a small, grim grin.

"Where are we?"

"At a ranch in Florida," he answers.

"Yours?"

"My father used to own it when I was younger. I was supposed to inherit it, but then a businessman from out of town with a short temper and a smart mouth took it away from my family," he says.

"So we're crashing in on somebody else's place?"

"'Crashing in' suggests trespassing."

Leo frowns. "But you just said that somebody took it away from you."

"I did. I made him give it back."

"You paid him off?"

He smirks. "No."

Leo stares at him, his features wrinkling deeper as he understands what he means. "What am I doing here?" he asks.

"You seemed like you had nowhere else to go, so I took you in," he responds.

"You took me from the Academy."

He gathers a very small smile. "That isolation room was really cold."

"They had to keep it cold. If they didn't, then I would—"

"That's not what I meant."

Leo shifts uncomfortably. He looks away, bravely hoping that the man in black doesn't see the sudden sadness that struck him. "Am I here as a hostage?" he asks quietly.

He walks closer to him. "No. Like I've said, I'm not here to hurt you," he says. He gestures to the opened doors then adds, "You're free to walk out of here whenever you want, as soon as you're ready."

"What's the catch?"

"No catch. You just have to make your way back by yourself."

Leo eyes him suspiciously. "You used that Triton app device on me, didn't you?"

He laughs. "If I had thought of using it on you, then there wouldn't be any need for this conversation," he says.

The boy doesn't trust him still, but, again, he allows his actions to speak for him. "What do you want from me, then?" he asks.

"Want? Nothing. But I do have an offer to make." He takes a seat on a crate opposite of the boy before saying, "My plans still had not changed, but because my…_children_ had been taken away from me, I'm at a disadvantage. It's come to my knowledge, though, that I may not need all of them. Like Davenport, maybe I just need three."

Leo slightly shakes his head. "Three? What do you mean?"

"I need a team of my own," he clarifies. "I already have S-1, and soon I will convince S-3 to come back to us." He looks at him. "The remaining place is reserved for you."

A weak, sardonic smirk tugs at Leo's mouth. "You want me to work for you?"

He says nothing; he's expected this.

"You really think that I would willingly go against my own family?"

"Oh. So they are your family."

"_Yes_, they're my family," he retorts, offended.

"When? When it's convenient?"

Despite it not showing on the teenage boy's face, it's apparent that he has landed a blow. "I did something wrong. That's why they had to do it," Leo insists, but it's apparent that he's not convinced by his own argument. "And I asked them to."

"You didn't ask them to. They told you that it's what was going to happen, and because you felt guilty over it you agreed," he says.

Another hit. "It was the right thing to do," Leo says, speaking in behalf of his family.

He only looks on, doesn't respond, and allows the kid's own doubts to degrade his resolve from the inside.

"I can't be in your team, Krane," Leo says. "I'm not a bad person."

"And yet, you were imprisoned like one."

Leo looks away.

"This will happen, whatever you decide," he says. "If you want to, you can return back to them. I will not stop you. I will even wait until you get there, until you warn them of us coming, before I make my move. But just know—" he smiles dimly, "if you leave, this time, everything you care about has no chance of survival. They will be taken out."

"What's the difference? If I do this, you're going to do the same thing to them anyways."

"If you stay and choose us, I will let you make your plea for your family," he says. "I'll let you keep them as your own prisoners, do whatever you like – given that what you'd like is reasonable, of course."

Leo ponders over it. Then, he asks, "How do you know that I'm not going to double cross you?"

He smirks faintly. "Like I said, this will happen, whatever you decide, whatever you choose to do," he says.

The boy withdraws to his own thoughts for a while so again, he waits patiently. "My mom, she has nothing to do with this," the boy says. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"Then you and S-3 need make sure she's safe before we finish what we'll start," he says.

Leo thinks about it. "How do I know you're not going to double-cross me?" he asks.

"Because even if I could while you were asleep, I didn't put you under the Triton app," he answers.

The boy doesn't say anything in response. Really, he doesn't have to. It's evident through his expressions that he's weighing the options presented to him. He seems to lean towards walking away, but Krane knows it's only because of his attachment to his family. "It was you, wasn't it? The one that gave me the sedative. It wasn't Douglas, right?" Leo asks.

He doesn't reply at first. He concludes that the kid is trying his hardest to find some redeeming factor in his family. He's trying to see if he's right in believing that he cares more about him than they had previously showed him. However, Krane is not a fool to give that to him. "Why do you still worry about them?" he asks.

Leo doesn't say anything.

"Your family has no love for you, Leo. They may have before, but they do not now," he tells him. "Not when you have nothing to offer."

"What about you? You only brought me here because you want something from me," he responds bitterly.

"I did," he says, "but unlike them, I never once tricked you into thinking that it's because I love you."

Leo glowers at him, trying to fight an already lost battle. "You have S-1 already, and if you succeed you'll have Sebastian, too," he says. "What I have, they have. What use do you have of me?"

"Your energy transference."

"Sebastian has it."

"S-3 only has the ability to absorb, but you? You can _destroy_," he tells him. "I need that ability with me. I need destruction."

Leo glances at his right hand then looks up when he notices someone walking in. His brows wrinkle as he watches S-1 stride towards the conglomeration of equipment in the back, glaring at him as she does so. "My mom. You guarantee she's going to be safe?" he asks. "You won't hurt her again?"

"Your prisoner, your decision," he answers.

Leo nods. "And the rest of them. Once we've subdued them, they're mine?"

He only smirks in response.

The boy takes a few more moments for the last time. Krane almost mistakes it as a signal that the boy will hold on to his misguided loyalty, but then he says, "Okay. I'll do it. I'll help you. What do you need me to do?"

He stands up from his seat with a wider, twisted smile. "S-3. I need you to recover him. Only you and S-1 will be going this time. When you come back, we'll move onto the next plan. But first," he scans him predatorily under the lights, "I need a guarantee that you won't suddenly change your mind on us."

S-1 holds up a device consisting of two microchips connected by hair-like wires. "Ancillary chip. It'll allow Mr. Krane to activate your personal version of the Triton app in case you get the bright idea to do something funny," she says. She grins superciliously. "Should hurt like crazy when it attaches to you."

Leo glares at her. He glances at the man towering at a distance, and then, although he's not particularly happy with it, he slightly turns his head to the side, gesturing for her to do what she has to do – and do it quickly.

S-1 glances conspiratorially up at Krane before proceeding towards the boy. As she positions the chips behind his right ear and his neck, she tells him quietly but firmly, "If you want to be on my good side, stay out of my way."

Leo smirks up at her. "Don't worry. At that rate, we'll be best friends," he quips.

S-1 shoots him a look before activating the device.

Leo doubles over as a tidal wave of pain hits him, his fingers tightly clawing the ground underneath his hands. He clenches his jaw after letting out a scream, and then soon settles down to deep breathing to calm his jolted nerves after everything passes. When he has composed himself together enough, he looks up at Krane, asking in silence if he is satisfied with that proof.

He smiles. He can see that the kid doesn't trust him, not completely, but now he also sees that maybe the anger and disappointment he feels due to his family's decision are greater to the point that he's recklessly chosen to do something as stupid as buying into a lie that an enemy has set in front of him. "Get some rest. I'll send you two out in the morning," he tells both of them before walking away.

It is the nature of most lies anyways, he thinks, to contain half-truths. What he has said is true, that he needs the kid to be on their side. The ability he possesses is very powerful. With the right instruction, the boy can accomplish many terrible things. He can incite fear, and fear is what he needs this time. But he also lied in saying that the boy can do something in behalf of the people he once cared about. Since this all began, they had been in line for elimination. There will not be anything or anyone that can save them, even the person that he has deceived into betraying them.

Still, he will enjoy this, every bit of it.

They are all poised to play a game where there will be no turning back – and tomorrow will just be the beginning of it.


	3. future

_Thank you to a nameless but still important guest, AlienGhostWizard14, Glee Clue Rock 1251, ShyMusic, and AllAmericanSlurp for the reviews last chapter! Much appreciated, guys. _

_Okay, this chapter is where the note in the beginning regarding the plot hole applies. It's not so much a plot hole as it is a missing part. I didn't want to get into the nitty-gritty of fighting (I'm generally squirmish when it comes to violence), so you'll get super quick summaries. I chickened out, I know, but they're not what's important in this anyways, so we'll just focus on the real issue. :) _

_The third and last chapter._

* * *

_iii. future_

Rest is not something that easily flies away from Chase. Unlike other people, he's fortunate in that regard. That is, until the many troublesome events that unfolded recently came along.

Although he has spent a good part of the past two weeks in sleep after the incident with his stepbrother and the students, he's aware of the significant things that had happened since then. His family didn't know it, but at one time he had woken up to one of their discussions regarding what to do with Leo. He was too tired to lift his head, even open his eyes at that point, so all he did was listen. The words came to him as if they were gibberish, as if his ears were stuffed with cotton balls. He could barely hear anything. He picked up a few things, though, things like 'isolation' and 'necessary' and 'downgrading bionics.' It had worried him, and he wanted to voice his opinion, he really did, but he was too tired.

It was one of those moments where he wished he had been physically stronger.

Another conversation he had woken up to was one between Adam and Bree. Bree had said something a bit too loudly out of anger, and Adam shushed her – which, ironically, was what snapped his brain into consciousness. Chase knew, though, that whatever they were talking about was highly upsetting to them, especially to his older sister. Instead of letting them know that he was aware of them being there, however, he pretended to be asleep. He was not one to eavesdrop on others, but something told him that the best move at that time was to do that.

And he did. And he suddenly regretted it.

From what he could piece together, Bree was angry at Douglas for some things that he had told them. Adam was trying to placate her, telling her that what the inventor said was really not fair, but he also admitted that Douglas was right: what they did to their stepbrother was wrong. Chase almost felt inclined to break the silence at that moment, wanting to know what it was that they had done to him, until something worse came out from one of his siblings' mouths: _Krane. Alive. Leo. Taken._

Still, he was too weak to act, so the best he could do was hope that his little brother would be alright.

The next one he had woken up to was his father furiously typing in something at the computer. Worried by the urgent expression on his face, he had called to him almost too softly, but his father still heard him. When he asked him where his siblings were, his father told him that Adam and Bree were helping Douglas secure the student dorms. He then asked where Leo was, if they had found him.

_He's gone, Chase. Leo's betrayed us to Krane,_ his father had replied with a hurt and angry expression. _He's with them now. He's not with us anymore._ After Chase expressed his refusal to believe what he had said, his father explained what happened, how Leo had fooled them into thinking that he had escaped from Krane so they would let him in, only to take down the upgraded version of the protective wall that prevented anymore unexpected visits from the madman from the inside, and, with the help of S-1, to take Sebastian away.

Chase still took it as a lie. He knew that maybe seeing what his father said happen may have changed his mind, but he couldn't—_wouldn't_—accept that his little brother would do something like that. Leo wouldn't. His stepbrother loved them too much to do it. It must not be true. So, he didn't buy into it.

He was right not to. In the following instance he woke up to, he saw Krane walking towards his capsule, eyeing him like a vulture eyeing a prey. It had terrified him because he read murder in his eyes, and though his instinct was to defend himself, unlike other times, he wouldn't be able to because his energy had only halfway come back to him. Any attempt was futile, and the best he could do was hope that Adam and Bree would come to save him.

Yet, they never came.

_Chase_, Krane had said with a bone-chilling quiet laugh, his hands glowing intensely from the deathly electricity building up in and around them. _I'm not one to take my victories easy, but I guess I can make an exception this time._

_Stay away from my brother, _Leo had said, walking in and standing in between him and Krane before he could get any farther.

The words said after that had been forgotten, and the battle that ensued had taken long, most of it escaping his mind now, too, but Chase does remember that he was right in trusting his brother. Leo had protected him, and he had forever ended the chances of that madman coming back to turn their lives upside-down again.

Chase has figured that by this time, his mind should be at peace. There is nothing to worry about anymore (he hopes), so his concentration should be towards getting better instead of his surroundings. However, his mind always running through different scenarios keeps him half-awake most of the time. He's easily stirred into consciousness whenever he feels somebody entering the quarters. He jumps at the slightest of sounds.

Perhaps it's why, when he hears footsteps near his capsule at that moment, though they're barely audible, he rouses, his eyes alertly locating the source of the noise.

Leo looks up at him with widened eyes, pausing in what he's doing as he meets his gaze. "Oh. Sorry," he says as he finally moves, draping the folded clothing he has in his hand on the sofa. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"No, you're fine," Chase says with a small, tired smile. After scanning the empty quarters where the bright Pacific sunshine is streaming in, he asks, "Where's everybody?"

"Oh, uh, they're with the students. Classes. Adam and Bree are with their groups, and Big D's substituting for you for your class," Leo says. "Douglas went back to Mission Creek to finish packing."

Chase frowns. "Packing?"

Leo, however, doesn't respond. He only smiles half-heartedly, which tells Chase to not press for more.

So Chase decides to move onto something else. He notices then his stepbrother's attire of jeans, blue shirt and a gray checkered hoodie. His features wrinkle as he asks, "Why aren't you in your uniform? Shouldn't you still be in class?"

A look of discomfort overcomes Leo then. Still, he strives to put a smile on his face. "Uh, no, actually," he says. "I'm not going to be in the classes anymore."

Chase is set to ask why until he catches a glimpse of the clothing hanging on the sofa. Student uniform, with bright, yellow patches on the shoulders. Leo's size. When he understands, he looks at him out of surprise, as if asking him why.

Again, Leo doesn't answer. Instead, he says, "You know, Chase, I've never really had a chance to apologize to you. I'm the reason why you're in there. I hurt you. I'm sorry."

Though the sight of the uniform still bothered him, Chase says with a sigh, "I'm getting better now, so it's okay." Then, he asks, "Why did you do it anyways? Why did you do that to them?"

"They wouldn't stop." Leo looks at him contritely and almost pleadingly. "It just happened."

Chase takes pity on him because he understands; he's had his fair share of bullies while they were in Mission Creek High after all. "If they were bothering you so much, why didn't you just tell us?" he asks kindly.

Leo smiles sadly. "I did. Several times. But no one listened," he says. "You know, that's the worst feeling in the world. To talk so loud to the point that you're screaming only to find out that no one's listening. It's bad stuff." He chuckles, "Maybe even worse than that time when we had to be Adam's errand boys for a week to make it up to him after we played that awfully planned prank on him."

Although he's laughing, Chase doesn't laugh along with him. "I'm sorry," he tells him seriously, because he truly does regret not being there for him.

Leo shrugs. "Well, like you said, I'm getting better now so it's okay," he says.

Chase knows there are still more things they had to talk about regarding that, but he decides against it for the time being. Instead, he just smiles and says, "You defeated him. You did it."

Leo has to think about it for a while before he remembers. "Oh. Oh, yeah, I did," he says. He smirks. "Don't be so surprised, Chase. I was born to save the day."

Chase shakes his head and rolls his eyes, grinning. "Good to see that your sense of humor is left unscarred."

Leo laughs. "Seriously, though – I thought I was going to die," he confesses.

Chase chuckles. His brows wrinkle despite the grin on his face. "How'd that happen? I mean, how'd you do it?" he asks.

He hitches his shoulders. "Krane and I double-crossed each other, which," he narrows his eyes thoughtfully, "I guess makes it a quadruple-cross. Krane offered me a spot on his team, promising me you guys, and I took it. I knew he was bluffing from the beginning, and I knew he knew that I had something up my sleeves, too, so both of us just played along. But I think he really thought I was sold into being one of his minions after I broke in with S-1 and destroyed the Davenwall. Taking Sebastian back to him was a bonus, too."

"Wait. So you _did_ do those things."

"Yeah. I had to sell it. I needed his trust."

Chase thinks back on the memory of his father talking to him. "You seemed to have sold it good. Mr. Davenport really thought you've switched sides," he says. Leo says nothing in reply. "But what about Sebastian? How'd he handle everything?"

"He was scared at first, but I told him everything was going to be okay," Leo says. "Before we got out of here during the break in, I told him to do everything that Krane says and pretend he's siding with him, but in the case that our psycho temporary boss decided to activate our Triton app, I had him attach a localized signal jammer on him at all times. That way, he can still be conscious of everything that's happening even while we're just following the pull of the strings."

Chase's brows knit. "You said _our_ Triton app?"

"Oh, yeah." Leo turns his head far enough to the side for his brother to see the scars left by the microchips and the wires. He turns his eyes back to him then says, "I had to prove to Krane that I won't suddenly turn against him, so he had me wear these dumb chips designed especially for the app." He grins. "Who knew bad guys could be insecure, too?"

"Did he ever activate it while they were on you?"

"I don't really know. Maybe? I didn't really try to find out if he'd do it," Leo says. "I disabled it while I was here. Like Sebastian, I kind of just winged the mindless henchman role by following everything he says."

"What'd you use to disable it?"

Leo smirks. "A good ol' magnet," he says. "Run it through any gadget enough times, and it's bound to mess it up to the point it's useless. Good thing I don't have a real chip back there."

Chase grins, amused. "You thought all of this through, didn't you?"

"Nope. Just banked in on New School tech forgetting Old School tech," Leo says.

Chase nods. "Sebastian. He's okay?"

"Yeah. He's back with everybody now. I think it's good that he got to see what Krane's really like. He saw firsthand why he had to be brought down. After everything that happened, he definitely doesn't want to be like him," Leo says.

"What about you? Are you okay?"

"Eh, I'm fine. I don't like having this ugly scar, but Douglas said it should heal soon," he says. "I guess it's better than having useless pieces of metals attached to me the rest of my life."

Chase nods again. "Thank you. For what you did," he says. "For saving my life."

Leo smiles at him. "There wasn't a chance he'd get to hurt you," he says. "Not if I can help it."

A smile tugs at an edge of Chase's lips. After a pause, he asks, "So did being a bad guy for a few days get you in any trouble?"

The bright-like expression on his brother's face dims down. "Depends on who you're talking about," he says, and Chase quickly picks up on the sadness. "Mom and Douglas, they're happy to see me. They didn't get upset or anything. They're just glad I'm back. As far as everybody else... they're mad at me, especially Bree and Big D. Adam and Bree still don't trust me, I think, and I have a feeling that they're still upset with me because of what I did to you."

"Look, Leo, don't worry about them. They're going to come back around," Chase assures him. "I'll talk to them. They need to get over it. It wasn't your fault."

Leo only looks more uncomfortable. "Big D," he continues, "he's mad at me because of what I agreed to. I don't think he even wants to talk to me right now. He doesn't say it, but I know he blames me." He expels a breath then grins weakly. "So yeah. Like I said, everybody else is mad at me."

Chase frowns at that. It doesn't seem like his father to get upset over something that was part of a plan. Granted, Leo may have deceived them, but it was a ruse. It wasn't real. However, instead of saying something about it, Chase just tells his brother, "Not everybody's mad at you, Leo." He smiles. "I'm not mad at you."

"I know. That's why I came to you. I want to say goodbye."

The smile slowly evaporates from Chase's face and is replaced by a soft frown.

Leo explains, "Douglas told my mom about what happened. He showed her everything, told her about the isolation room and the plan and – she got really angry. She agreed with Douglas, and she's pulled me out of the Academy." He smiles sadly. "She said she knew it was too good to be true. She said it was too ambitious to believe that we're going to have this perfect little stepfamily. She and, uh, Big D had this big argument about it. Actually, all the adults did. In the end, Mom has the final say, and she's decided that maybe it's a good idea for me to stay with my Aunt Janice in Vermont for a while."

Chase stares at him. "You…You told her you didn't want to go, right?"

"No. I didn't say anything," Leo says. "I just packed my bags."

"You agree with her."

Leo nods. "It's not such a bad plan, really," he says. "I'm going there, start a new life. I'll finish high school, maybe even go to college there? Aunt Janice knows this nice university I can go to. She told my mom she can get me in. Douglas said he needs a new start, too, so he's coming with me. He's going to continue my trainings so I could get better. Less destructive unless it's necessary."

Chase, now seeing that all that's been done has resulted into something final, asks, "We really hurt you, didn't we."

Leo smiles. "It's been a fun three years, Chase," he tells him. "Meeting you guys is definitely one of the top highlights of my life. But, things are different now. You guys have your own Adams, Brees and Chases to care for. That was my purpose before. It's not anymore. You guys don't need me, so I guess I have to go."

Chase looks away. He feels inclined to assure Leo that they still need him, but as he thinks about it he realizes that it wouldn't be exactly true. They need him there because they're family, yes, but the three of them seemed to have replaced him in that unique place he had in their lives of being their friend before with the new students. These kids are the ones who occupy their time now, and if he was to be completely honest it showed through their actions that they had pushed their stepbrother's importance to them to the backburner.

In a degree, he also feels upset. Can't Leo stay just for the reason that he needs to be there for them? However, he knows that won't be fair for him. His brother has supported them since the first time they met. It's unkind to obligate him to stay in their shadows. He has his own life to live. So, he just asks quietly, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow night," Leo says. "This is my last day here, though. I'll be at the mainland from tonight onward." Chase tries to step forward to get out of the capsule to walk towards him, but Leo stops him by holding up a hand. "No, Chase. You have to stay in there. Big D said you need to."

Chase wants to forego the instruction, but he senses in his body that it will not be such a good idea.

Nevertheless, Leo understands his brother's intentions, and he's grateful for it. "You can always visit me on the weekends when you're not busy. You can take Adam and Bree with you if they want to come. If not, that's okay, too. Hopefully by then, I'll know my way around town. We can find a place to hang out in," he says with a grin. When he sees his brother refusing to look at him, the smile on his face falters. He nods. "Goodbye, Chase," he says. Then, he walks away.

After his little brother vanishes into the hall, leaving behind his uniform, the Academy, leaving _them_ behind, a question quietly and belatedly issues out of Chase. "Is there anything that we can do to make you stay?" he asks, the words echoing against the glass of his capsule.

Only silence answers him.

* * *

_Thank you again, Slurp, for being so nice and supportive and just overall super cool. I hope you enjoyed your prize!_

_Thank you to everybody, too, who had gone in this short ride with us! Please leave a comment and/or favorite. Hope to hear from you guys soon. :) _


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